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Like stocks that outperform the Dow, the off-road segment has outpaced the rest of the automotive aftermarket in recent years. To see where the off-road af termarket has been and to predict where it s going, we quizzed representatives from four prominent manufacturers. We narrowed the discussion s focus to market trends and parts for the 4x4/truck segment, since it s less regionalized than sand buggies, desert pre-runners and other niches. Assessing recent growth and strategizing for sustained success are the bottom lines. Product trends, the value of off-road mo torsports, in-house manufacturing versus outsourcing production, e-commerce and the bene ts of traditional WDs and jobbers are common bottom-line concerns. 28 John Currie, President,RockJock 4x4 Currie Enterprises made a bold move by launching its RockJock business unit. Hav ing accrued decades of brand equity (Currie Enterprises celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2009), brothers Ray, John and Charlie reluc tantly agreed that off-road products diluted the Currie brand. As a result, RockJock was created for the off-road line, with the Currie division focusing on the company s endur ing area of expertise: axles. John Currie shares that 2006 was Rock Jock s best year; 2007 sales came in slightly under it.The 2008 goal is to match last year. Jeep owners don t seem to be as affected by the economy, Currie says. They re older and have more disposable income. The seg ments that rely on the construction indus try seem to be suffering. For example, the long-travel buggy companies couldn t build them fast enough. They re at now. Pickup lifts are also hurting. Tough decisions didn t end at splitting the Currie operation into two divisions. Over a year ago, installations were discontinued. Too much creative energy went to custom ers vehicles, Currie says. That space is now devoted to R&D. Obviously, the actual products are the single-most important key to aftermar ket success. Currie looks at what s already available, then decides if RockJock can do it better. Also, re-evaluating existing prod ucts sometimes requires making orphans of prodigal sons.